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5/18: LME FACTSHEET SERIES BARENTS LME

tic LMEs Arc BARENTS SEA LME MAP 18 of Central Map Franz Josef Land (Russia)

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5 1 ARCTIC LMEs

Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) are defined as of work of the Arcc Council in developing and promong the ocean space of 200,000 km² or greater, that encompass Ecosystem Approach to management of the Arcc marine coastal areas from river basins and estuaries to the outer environment. margins of a connental shelf or the seaward extent of a predominant coastal current. LMEs are defined by ecological Joint EA Expert group criteria, including bathymetry, hydrography, producvity, and PAME established an Ecosystem Approach to Management tropically linked populaons. PAME developed a map expert group in 2011 with the parcipaon of other Arcc delineang 17 Arcc Large Marine Ecosystems (Arcc LME's) Council working groups (AMAP, CAFF and SDWG). This joint in the marine waters of the Arcc and adjacent in 2006. Ecosystem Approach Expert Group (EA-EG) has developed a In a consultave process including agencies of Arcc Council framework for EA implementaon where the first step is member states and other Arcc Council working groups, the idenficaon of the ecosystem to be managed. Idenfying Arcc LME map was revised in 2012 to include 18 Arcc the Arcc LMEs represents this first step. LMEs. This is the current map of Arcc LMEs used in the This factsheet is one of 18 in a series of the Arcc LMEs.

OVERVIEW: BARENTS SEA LME The Barents Sea is a large shelf area (about 1.5 million km2) located at high latudes between about 70 and 80°N to the north of Norway and Russia. The mean depth is about 230 m and the maximum depth in the western Barents Sea is about 500 m. The boom topography is complex with several larger and smaller banks and deeper trenches and basins in between. Dominant features are the Svalbard and located in the northwestern and northeastern corners of the Barents Sea, and the Great Bank and Central Bank in the central part.

The Atlanc water on its way to the Arcc Ocean flows with one branch around the Barents Sea and with another branch across the Barents from southwest to northeast. This flow paern dictates the oceanographic and biogeographic characteriscs of the Barents Sea LME.

Large areas of the northern and eastern Map: The Barents Sea LME. Source: AMSAIIC Report Barents Sea are typically -covered in winter. Most of the ice is annual ice which The inflowing Atlanc water is relavely mild and forms seasonally, but mul-annual ice is found in the gives boreal condions in the southern part of the northern Barents Sea where it is partly advected in Barents Sea, while cold Arcc water resides over from the Arcc Ocean. The minimum ice extent is most of the northern part. The boreal and Arcc usually in late August or September when the whole regimes are separated by a sharp oceanographic of the Barents Sea may become ice-free in warm polar front in the western part of the Barents Sea. years. The maximum extent of the sea ice usually The small pelagic fish , which is a key occurs in April, when it extends south to about component of the food web of the Barents Sea, 75-76°N in the western Barents Sea. The thickness of migrates across this boundary and integrates the the annual ice which forms during winter is about 1 southern and northern parts in a funconal m in the central areas at latudes 75-76°N, while ecological sense. Other migratory species such as being about 1.5 m at around 79°N. polar cod, and beluga contribute also to the ecological integraon. 2

MARINE MAMMALS The Barents Sea is an important area for marine majority of them moving into the Barents Sea mammals. A total of about 25 species have been seasonally where they feed largely on capelin, recorded from the area, including rare visitors. The herring and . Beluga or white is a common total includes 7 species of baleen , 10 species species in the northern and eastern Barents Sea and of toothed whales, 6 species of seals plus walrus, and in the . The main preys of belugas in these . Nine of the species are ice-associated: areas are polar cod and coregonid whitefish. There is , beluga whale, narwhal, walrus, considerable uncertainty regarding the size of the ringed seal, bearded seal, harp seal, hooded seal, and populaons of belugas in the Barents and the White polar bear. All these species except hooded seal are Seas, it has been esmated up to 20.000 belugas. year-round residents of the Barents Sea. Two more Historically they have been harvested, with catches seals, harbour seal and grey seal, and two toothed of about 1,500 individuals annually when the catch whales, harbour porpoise and white-beaked dolphin, was at its highest during the 1950s and 60s. In 1999 are also year-round residents but in the open water commercial whaling was banned and there is now areas of the southern Barents Sea (and at Svalbard only a limited subsistence harvest. for one populaon of harbour seal). Narwhal occurs with a small populaon (esmated at Humpback whale (about 500 individuals) and fin about 200 individuals) in the northern Barents Sea. whale (about 1700 individuals) use the Barents Sea There are limited observaons and knowledge about as a seasonal feeding area. Both these species may this populaon. In addion to the arcc species remain in the northern feeding areas during winter, beluga and narwhal, other toothed whales occur in although there is uncertainty about the extent to the Barents Sea mainly in the open waters. White- which this takes place. Both species are known for beaked dolphin is distributed mainly in the following capelin on their spawning migraons as an southwestern and central parts of the sea and may important stock for their pray. Blue whale was occur seasonally with about 25,000 individuals. severely depleted by the commercial whaling which White-sided dolphin also occurs in the Barents Sea started off Finmark in the late 1860s. Up to 1904, with roughly similar number of individuals. about 3,500 blue whales may have been killed in north Norwegian waters. Blue whale is listed as Killer whale occurs in the Barents Sea but in fairly endangered and the present abundance in the low numbers. Most killer whales are found in the northeast Atlanc is probably in the few hundreds as to the south and west where they indicated by low but regular sighngs. feed on herring of the Norwegian spring-spawning stock. Harbour porpoise are common in the Bowhead (or right whale): The southern Barents Sea. They are widely distributed (or Svalbard-Barents Sea) stock of but occurs most concentrated in the coastal areas bowhead whales is considered ‘Crically Endangered’ along the southern shores of the Barents Sea. The by IUCN. A research in 1992 considered that any distribuon of harbour porpoise extends north to the remaining stock probably numbered in the low 10s. A and the waters of the southwestern large populaon used to feed on Arcc Svalbard. Ringed seal follows generally the seasonal in the northern Barents Sea prior to their severe rhythm of the ice, being most abundant in the ice depleon by whaling in the preceding centuries. The edge and into the pack ice during summer and bowheads of the Spitsbergen stock counted up autumn. The main breeding habitat is stable first-year 100,000 individuals prior to extensive whaling which ice containing irregular features such as pressure started in 1611. More than 100.000 bowheads were ridging or frozen chunks of ice that facilitate snow esmated killed during 300 years of whaling, most of accumulaon. Ringed seals maintain breathing holes them from about 1650 to 1750 – mostly in the by using the strong claws of their foreflippers. They . The relavely consistent and regular excavate lairs in compacted snow-dris over the sighngs of bowheads at Svalbard and Franz Josef breathing holes, and individual seals use a complex Land suggest that the stock could be larger than in of several lairs in an area, providing shelter from the 10s, possibly of the order of 100 whales. weather and predators, such as polar bears. The populaon size of ringed seals in the Barents Sea is The stock is esmated to be about 85 not well known but has been given as the order of thousand individuals in the Northeast Atlanc, the 100 thousand individuals. 3 Harp seal is the most common and abundant marine Gray seal (or grey seal) is a relavely large North mammal in the Barents Sea ecosystem. Seals of the Atlanc species found with three main populaons two laer stocks occur in the Barents Sea. They feed in the Northeast Atlanc, Northwest Atlanc, and on a variety of prey, taking broadly what is available the Balc Sea. They have a characterisc long head in their areas of distribuon. They feed mainly on with a ‘Roman profile’ reflected in the Lan species small fish and pelagic , and the main name (grypus) which means ‘hook-nosed’. Gray seals prey are krill, amphipods, capelin, polar cod and usually dive to moderate depths and feed largely at herring. The total annual food consumpon by the the sea floor on a variety of fish species and Barents/White Sea harp seal populaon has been cephalopods. esmated to be about 3.5 million tonnes. Surveys in 2009 and 2010 gave esmates of annual producon Atlanc walrus is one of two (or three if Laptev of about 160.000 pups, which suggested a total walrus is included) subspecies of walrus found in populaon size of about 1.4 million seals. Barents Sea LME. Hunng, which started in 1604 and connued unl 1952 when walrus was Bearded seal is an ice-associated species with wide protected, decimated the populaon to near circumpolar distribuon. Bearded seals are solitary exncon. Walruses are generally found in areas of and are generally found scaered in low shallow water (<80 m) with suitable boom densies in driing pack ice in coastal and shelf substrate that can support producve bivalve waters. Bearded seal is a demersal feeder on various community within reasonably close proximity to fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks. The ‘beard’ of suitable haul-out areas. Walrus segregate according bearded seals is a set of elaborate long and sensive to sex and almost all the animals observed at whiskers that are used to locate prey at or in the Svalbard during summer are males. Females and boom. The populaon number of bearded seals in cows occur further east in the distribuon area the Barents Sea is not well known but has been towards Franz Josef Land. Walrus feeds mainly on indicated as 10 thousand or some 10s of thousand bivalves and other benthic , notably individuals. the burrowing clams. The walrus populaon of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land has clearly increased Harbor seal is a coastal seal with a wide distribuon significantly since being at the verge of exncon in in the temperate and subarcc zones in both the the 1950s. Their numbers were esmated based on North Atlanc and North Pacific. The populaon is surveys in 1992-93 to be a minimum of about 2.000 protected and lives within a protected area. There is individuals. More recent esmate well over 5000 no hunng or fishing acvies and low level of individuals. disturbance by human presence. The seals are therefore unafraid and easy to approach. Harbor Polar bear are widely distributed in the ice-covered seals can live more than 30 years and individuals parts of the Barents Sea and follow the seasonal older than 15 years are common in other rhythm of the ice cover. They have been extensively populaons, such old individuals are not found in studied. The size of the Barents Sea subpopulaon the Svalbard populaon. of polar bears was esmated to be approximately 2.650 individuals based on a large-scale survey in August 2004. The survey was strafied and included Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and the ice edge zone north of these archipelagos (from about 81 to 83oN). 4

FISH SHOREBIRDS The Barents Sea LME contains several large stocks A total of 32 species of shorebirds breed regularly in of fish which contribute importantly to its system the Barents Sea area. Many of these (15 species) characteriscs. These include the Barents Sea are largely boreal or temperate species that extend capelin stock, and also large (and commercially their breeding range north to the southern parts of important) stocks of cod, , Greenland the Barents Sea, parcularly in northern Norway halibut, and northern shrimp. There are two stocks and the White Sea region in Russia. These include of polar cod and a stock of long-rough dab which three species of snipes (common, Jack and great), 6 are ulized to lile or no extent commercially but shanks (common redshank, common greenshank, which are very important ecologically. and green, wood, common and Terek ), and 3 species of and (black-tailed The number of fish species registered in the Barents , whimbrel, and Eurasian ). Seven high Sea has risen as the ichthyologic research effort has Arcc species breed on Svalbard (sanderling, purple increased. In 1916 a research noted 114 species in , , , ruddy , red this area while recent data shows more than 200 and common ringed plover), and two of fish species from 66 families recorded in the these (sanderling, purple sandpiper) breed also on Barents Sea. Many of the species are rare and have Franz Josef Land. Ten more Arcc species that occur only occasionally been found in the Barents Sea. primarily in the low arcc zone are found on the mainland side of the Barents Sea. They include There are around 90 of the more commonly found lile and Temmick’s snts, ruff, Eurasian golden species in the Barents Sea. The predominant fish plover, Eurasian doerel, bar-tailed godwit and families are: eelpouts, snailfishes, codfishes, spoed redshank. sculpins, flaishes, and rockling, ling, and tusk. These families account for nearly 80% of the species The low-lying coasts with adjacent tundra in the that occur regularly in the Barents Sea, and more southeastern Barents Sea offer breeding, post- than 40% of the species recorded in this region. breeding and migrang habitats for many shorebirds, including that breed further east in The fish fauna is dominated by 10-12 very abundant the region and on Taimyr. Most of the and commercially exploited fish species including shorebirds from the Barents Sea region belong to some of the world’s largest fish stocks. These are populaons that migrate south to winter in western Atlanc cod, haddock, saithe, capelin, and Atlanc and southern and in West . herring. Other commercial species include Greenland halibut, two species of redfish, and three species of wolffish.

The commercial fish species are also ecologically important due to their generally high abundance and biomass. Other ecologically important species include polar cod (which is fished commercially to some extent by Russia), long-rough dab, lesser sandeel, and .

5 breeding populaons within the Barents Sea LME. The main species are , thick-billed murre, lile auk, common eider and many gull species, totalling several million individuals. These wintering seabirds are supplemented with large segments of waterbirds from inland breeding sites, e.g. diving ducks and divers. The most numerous SEABIRDS are king eider (45,000 ind.) and long-tailed duck The Barents Sea LME holds some of the largest (>30,000 ind.), while the Steller’s eider also winter concentraons of seabirds in the world and is an here in significant numbers. In spring, when many important breeding and feeding area for many seabirds migrate towards breeding grounds in the species. About 20-25 million seabirds harvest northern part of the region, concentraons of approximately 1.2 million tonnes of biomass mainly auks and northern fulmars occur along the annually from the area. The high density of seabirds dri ice margin. is a consequence of relavely high primary producon and large stocks of pelagic fish species such as capelin, herring, and polar cod. A total of 37 seabird species breed regularly in the Barents Sea LME. The Barents Sea also serves as an important migraon and wintering area for seabirds. The warmer and ice-free waters south of the polar front and along the coast of northern Norway serve as wintering grounds for many seabirds from colonies WATERFOWL in the cold northern part of the Barents Sea as well as for birds breeding in the Russian Arcc further The Barents Sea LME provides important habitats east in the Kara and Laptev Seas. for waterfowl both during breeding, migraon and wintering periods. The Svalbard is Several of the seabird populaons in the Barents home to a large number of sea ducks and geese Sea LME are of internaonal importance. The most during the breeding period. The tundra and numerous species are Atlanc puffin (2 million wetlands in northwestern Russia adjacent to the pairs), thick-billed murre (1.75 million pairs), low-lying coasts of the and White Seas are dovekie (or lile auk, >1.3 million pairs), black- also important breeding grounds for geese and legged kiwake (0.9 million pairs), northern fulmar ducks of various species. Many of these breeding (0.1-1 million pairs), and common eider birds use coastal marine habitats for staging during (120,000-150,000 pairs) among the sea ducks. spring and fall migraon, and this is also the case Atlanc puffin, black-legged kiwake, and common for waterfowl that breed further east in the Kara guillemot dominate the seabird communies south Sea region and on Taimyr. Novaya Zemlya and the of the polar front, while more Arcc species such as high Arcc Franz Josef Land archipelago are thick-billed murre and lile auk dominate in the breeding places for Arcc sea ducks and geese. north. The Barents Sea area is used commonly or regularly The mostly rocky coasts of northern Norway, by 27 species of waterfowl, the majority of which Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya contain many cliffs breed in the area and feed and stage in marine suitable for seabird breeding. Important breeding habitats during the breeding and/or migraon habitats include several large seabird colonies periods. The species include 7 geese (barnacle, mainly found on steep sea-facing cliffs or screes. brent, bean, greylag, greater white-fronted, lesser The largest colonies, with more than 100,000 birds, white-fronted, pinked-legged), 2 swans (tundra, are mainly found along the Polar front, the whooper), 10 sea ducks (common, king and Steller’s transion zone between the Atlanc and Arcc eiders, long-tailed duck, black and white-winged water masses, and along the Norwegian Coastal scoters, red-breasted merganser, goosander, smew, Current in the southern Barents Sea. and common goldeneye), 2 pochards (greater scaup and tued duck), and 6 dabbling ducks (Eurasian The marginal ice-zone in the Barents Sea is an wigeon, common teal, mallard, northern pintail, important feeding habitat where seabirds forage on northern shoveler, and garganey). In addion, there migrang capelin, polar cod, and zooplankton. In are 3 species of divers (red-throated, black- winter, the coastal and shelf waters in the southern throated, and white-billed) and 2 grebes (red- part of the region are extremely important necked and horned) that are part of the waterbird wintering grounds for seabirds mainly from fauna in this area. 6 ARCTIC LMEs 1. Faroe Plateu LME 2. Iceland Shelf and Sea LME 3. Greenland Sea-East Greenland LME 4. Norwegian Sea LME 5. Barents Sea LME 6. Kara Sea LME 7. LME 8. LME 9. East LME 10. Aleuan Islands LME 11. West Bering Sea LME 12. Northern Bering- LME 13. Central Arcc Ocean LME 14. LME 15. Canadian High Arcc - North Greenland LME 16. Canadian Eastern Arcc - West Greenland LME 17. Complex LME 18. Labrador-Newfoundland LME

LITERATURE REFERENCES Acknowledgements • The 2007 assessment of Oil and Gas in the Arcc (OGA) - PAME gratefully acknowledges the financial AMAP (2007) support provided to this project by the Nordic • AMAP OGA 2007 - Updated descripon of the Barents Sea Council of Ministers and the OAK Foundaon. LME. Lead author: Hein Rune Skjoldal. • Arcc Marine Areas of Heightened Ecological and Cultural Significance: Arcc Marine Shipping Assessment (AMSA) IIC - AMAP/CAFF/SDWG (2013) • Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) of the Arcc area Revision of the Arcc LME map - PAME (2013)

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